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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27707984">When Time Stands Still</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenestbee/pseuds/queenestbee'>queenestbee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drabble, F/F, November writing prompts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:47:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27707984</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenestbee/pseuds/queenestbee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>November writing prompts to stop the writers block. Might feature a variety of fandoms and ships. Just some feel-good drabbles for these trying times, some medicine for your soul.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pearl/Garnet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When Time Stands Still</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I got these prompts off of tumblr, but unfortunately it’s being screwy right now and I can’t get any posts to load. I’ll go back and add a link to the post later. For now, enjoy this underwritten ship :) </p><p>Prompt: crisp air<br/>Human! Au</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There weren’t very many people crazy enough to go hiking at this time of the year, but Pearl didn’t mind the chilly air. The soft wind blowing through the auburn-shaded trees and the soft silence that created a hush over the mountains. Pearl always took walks around her neighborhood because she enjoyed being alone with nature. Today though, she had thrown on her most comfortable jacket and a backpack and headed somewhere she hadn’t been in a while, the mountains in the national park only 20 minutes from her house. </p><p>Birds chirped overhead and the sun stood high in the sky, as it was mid morning. Pearl softly hummed copying the birds, and shuffled along the dirt path. Sometimes she would wave and smile at other people that walked along the paths when she came here, but she seemed to be the only person there today. She didn’t mind. </p><p>When she saw that the sun had reached its peak in the sky, she sat on a large boulder just off the path and ate the sandwich and chips that she had brought. She’d been on the path for more than an hour now. Pearl chugged some of her water bottle and continued on, the stretch in her legs and her burning lungs only spurring her onwards. A few minutes later however, she was deep in thought, and when she came to herself again she had apparently taken a wrong turn. Pearl didn’t recognize where she was and had neglected to bring a map. It had been a while since she visited the park. </p><p>She stopped and squinted her eyes, searching around her for anything familiar. She knew that the paths often split off from each other. The higher that she went up into the mountains, the more treacherous the paths would be. She planned to turn around before she ever got into the more dangerous parts. Now though, she might risk going farther up if she turned around. “Now how did I manage to zone out so much?” Pearl mumbled to herself. </p><p>Against her better judgement, she turned around and went the way she came. Her eyes must have seen the way that she’d taken, even if she didn’t remember then, she reasoned. She’d probably make her way down eventually. As the sun began to slip father and farther downward in the sky, though, Pearl began to doubt herself. The air grew ever chillier as the sun set. Soon, she could see her breath in the air. She checked her phone and saw that it was 4:30. Since it was fall, it would be dark before she knew it. She considered calling someone for help but she had no service out here. </p><p>She came across a creek. The crystal water glimmered with the dregs of the remaining golden sunlight and trickled slowly along smooth rocks. Pearl would have taken the time to admire its beauty given different circumstances. She sat on a log to rest her legs, her breath coming in panicked spurts. </p><p>She had no idea what would happen to her if she was there after dark. She knew that the park didn’t close until 10pm, but she didn’t have any flashlight besides her cell. She’d be walking blind. Pearl shivered and crossed her arms close to her body. </p><p>There was a sound so small that she thought she imagined it, until a branch snapped to her left. Then, all she saw was a shadow that appeared in the bushes like some cryptid there to eat her. Pearl screamed, nearly falling off of her log. The Thing turned its dark head towards her, its antlers clearly visible. Pearl slowly exhaled, trying to steady her heartbeat, her hand resting over her chest. The buck shuffled nervously and then darted back into the woods. She soon lost sight of it in the dim light. </p><p>She then heard something else, much less graceful, coming towards her, but this time it sounded less frightening and more familiar. She saw a light scattering across tree trunks along the path that she came from. “Hello?” came a voice. </p><p>Another dark figure emerged from the forest, but this time unmistakably human. “I heard a scream, is everything alright?” The woman wore a park ranger uniform and had dark skin. Her strange accent was somehow comforting to Pearl. The ranger took a few more cautious steps towards her, shining the flashlight all around the woods. </p><p>“Oh yes I’m alright, I was only startled by something.” Pearl kept her arms crossed as she stood and looked sheepishly at her feet. “I am quite lost though...” </p><p>“Well that’s no good,” the ranger said. “Come with me love, let’s get you out of the cold.”  </p><p>Dusk had fully taken the mountains now, and the scarce sky Pearl could see was scattered with stars. “It’s really lovely isn’t it,” she said, following the ranger off-trail and through some flattened foliage. It seemed to be a shortcut to another path. </p><p>The woman hummed in agreement. “Even though I see it every day, I’m constantly amazed by it. All of the different living things coexisting, all helping each other. And this time of the year is always gorgeous.” </p><p>Pearl nodded. “Indeed. Fall is my favorite season, it’s so beautiful.” The two fell into a comfortable silence, and not long after they came to the ranger’s trail vehicle that she had parked on a wider neighboring trail. </p><p>The ranger helped Pearl into the vehicle and then pulled herself in, starting it up and switching on the headlights. She unhooked her walkie-talkie from her belt and said into it, “This is Garnet, reporting in. I’ve picked up a lost stray, headed down.” There was a garbled response, then the ranger, Garnet, maneuvered the vehicle down the mountain. She saw Pearl shiver at the rush of air and apologized about the lack of heat in the cart.<br/>
~~~<br/>
It was a couple weeks later when she saw Garnet again. This time, Pearl decided to stick to the lower paths and to have a map and flashlight on hand. </p><p>There was a nicely sized lake nestled within the forest, with a couple of old picnic tables. In the warmer months, Pearl liked to visit so that she could feed the ducks, but they seemed to have migrated for the year. Today, the water was still. She decided to sit cross-legged atop a table and meditate. </p><p>Soon, she saw Garnet not too far away, crouched near the water. She seemed to be fiddling with something out of Pearl’s view. Curiosity got the better of her as she headed over to the ranger. </p><p>“This little frog’s got himself stuck in a fishing line, poor thing,” Garnet said. “He was trying to migrate farther into the ground for the winter when he got caught.” </p><p>Pearl crouched beside her, studying the tiny frog, who was wiggling uselessly. “Oh no!” An old fishing line, left behind by a careless fisher, had its leg in a tight bind. Garnet continued trying to remove it to no avail. The frog’s wiggling was only making its situation worse, it seemed, and the line only became tighter around its leg. “Here,” Pearl said, and gripped the frog carefully with two hands. She was careful not to squish it or let it slip out of her grasp. As a kid, she’d always like to catch frogs in the creek behind her house. </p><p>Soon, Garnet was able to free the frog, and Pearl allowed it to hop away. It gave a few thankful ribbits and began to burrow into the mud once more, presumably to join its family for the winter. “Thanks-“ Garnet said, standing up. “What can I call you?” She recognized the woman from her soft voice and lovely pink hair from a few weeks prior, but she hadn’t gotten her name.</p><p>You can call me anything you want, gorgeous, Pearl thought, staring at the woman’s kind face and nice figure. “Pearl,” she said and smiled. “Anything for a tiny friend in need.” She took Garnet’s hand and let her help her up.</p><p>“You were a tiny friend in need once,” Garnet chuckled. </p><p>Pearl huffed. “Oh, don’t remind me.”  She walked with the ranger for a while, not letting go of her hand (for fear of getting lost again, she told herself) and talked with her about various things while Garnet monitored the park for anything amiss and did her daily duties. </p><p>It was slightly cloudy today, and therefore slightly chillier. Pearl’s teeth were chattering by the time the two women made it back towards the entrance to the park. “This is the one thing that I do mind about fall,” she said. Soft orange and rose colors illuminated the clouds as the sun set. </p><p>Garnet shrugged. “I guess I’m used to the cold, and the heat too in the summer. But I prefer cold over heat.” She glanced at her watch. “Pearl. You should come to my place tonight so I can properly warm you up.” </p><p>Pearl felt her face warm despite the biting chill. Her mind short circuited then, although Garnet probably meant something along the lines of making her tea. “That would be lovely,” she said breathlessly. </p><p>Garnet did make her tea, and then let Pearl pick a movie to watch. She went with a classic, The Breakfast Club. Garnet and Pearl ended up underneath one giant quilt huddled close together. By the end of the movie Pearl was laying in Garnet’s lap and both were fast asleep, Garnet’s hand still in Pearl’s hair. Nights just like these became common and natural for the ranger and her lost stray.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For some reason Garnet x Pearl makes me so soft??</p></blockquote></div></div>
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